Norwegian Fisheries Minister Resigns, Did Not Inform Government of Two Private Travels

Sandberg has acknowledged that he has travelled to Iran in July, and that he had stayed in China during May. He has said that for these trips, he had not publicly announced the Office of Prime Minister.

Sandberg, 58, is deputy chairman of the Parliament Party, which is a party with anti-migrarian politics. He has admitted that during his trips to Iran and China, he had his work phone with his girlfriend.

In Norway, members of the government cabinet are obliged to advance government over private travel abroad, regardless of which country they will visit.

Norway also prohibits the use of phones issued by the Government in states where Norway has no co-operation in the area of security.

After returning from Iran, Sandberg was ordered to hand over his intelligence work phone to make sure his phone was not hacked to Iran.

Norway constantly lists Iran in the midst of countries where most are conducted spying, along with China and Russia.

Sandberg, however, has given no reason why he violated the government's security protocols.